How to Be 50: Part II...

I was a late starter, but I've now been a martial arts student for the past 16 years. 

I initially started training in the Korean martial art of Hapkido and, alongside this, I boxed for a few years. I've trained in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for about seven years, too, alongside my continuing hapkido studies. This year, I also started training in no-gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, wrestling and a bit of MMA. 

To nutshell these experiences and the people I've trained under and with: they've all been nothing short of wonderful.

In reality, I won't ever be the fighter I may have once hoped to be. But I'm doing OK and, alongside developing massively improved fitness and stamina and learning some self-defence skills, training has so many other benefits. 

I met my best friend while doing hapkido and I've made so many other close pals that it seems crazy to think this is something that I once never did. It also majorly helped me deal with stress when the corporate carnage of work got too crazy in my last job. 

One of the greatest benefits of martial arts training, though, is that it keeps you humble and it keeps your perspective on things real. I've now trained with so many good people that I'd never assume I know how to do techniques. I often have a rough idea of how to do a thing and through constant training you slowly refine this thing. Then once you think you have it, a whole new area of improvement and correction opens up. 

And the cycle of improvement goes on. 

This is excellent for instilling humility and killing arrogance and training martial arts keeps finding ways to re-inform and repeat this lesson in humility. A case in point was this week. 

I'm generally one of the older people at the schools where I train and I do get off on this a little bit. I'm often exhausted and a bit broken by the end of a two or three-hour session, but I take some pride in the fact I'm still hanging with people some 25 or 15 years younger than me. 

Then a new guy joined the gym and he's 69. Not only is he 69, but he's got skills and he puts in the graft. That dude is my new hero. I will never complain about old age again. It's just not a valid excuse any more.